Posts Tagged ‘fees review’

An education think-tank has called for the creation of a “market” for education and for lifting the cap on tuition fees to allow universities to charge at least £5,000 per year – prompting an angry reaction from those who say recent strides made in participation would be reversed.

Right-wing think-tank Policy Exchange, whose free-market policy recommendations have previously been favoured by the Conservative party, released a report entitled ‘More fees please?’ on February 11th arguing that: “fees will need to rise…if we are to protect and improve the student experience, and retain Britain’s position as a global leader in higher education.”

The report urges the government to “make its first move on fees a bold one”, claiming that “if the cap is set at £5,000 or lower…the majority of institutions will charge the maximum fee and no market will be activated.”

But critics have spoken out against the notion that variable fees and a market for education – which could see price tags for different degrees and different universities vary – is desirable. The University and College Union (UCU), which represents lecturers, said that forcing students to foot the bill to compensate for the £449m public spending cuts announced by the government was a “lazy” option.

UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt, said: “Has the Policy Exchange really exhausted all the possibilities here or has it decided it wants higher fees for students and written a report to attempt to justify that position?

“Lord Dearing’s landmark report at the end of the last century said we needed to look at the balance between who pays for higher education – the state, the student and business. This Policy Exchange report ignores the possibility of the state contributing more, as it is in countries like America, France and Germany as part of fiscal stimuli packages, and completely lets business off the hook. We do not believe handing individual debts of tens of thousands of pounds to the next generation of students makes economic sense, nor do we believe that the most expensive university fees in the world will encourage the brightest people from the poorest backgrounds to apply to university.”

Meanwhile Wes Streeting, President of the National Union of Students (NUS) warned that a market in higher education would be “disastrous for students and their families”.

He said: “We cannot allow a rise in fees to expose students and their families to the risks, mistakes and potential calamities of the market. Such a market would reinforce social and economic privilege, and price poorer students out of the most prestigious universities.”

Policy Exchange presented their proposals to the government commissioned review into higher education funding headed by Lord Browne that will report back after the general election.

They also recommended that  wealthy students should be offered loans from a regulated private scheme at a lower than commercial rate of interest, and that middle-class parents should use their property as collateral against student loan.

Public opinion is against raising the cap on tuition fees, according to a poll by the National Union of Students (NUS).

The results of the poll come just before the government is due to announce the details of its review of tuition fees tomorrow (9th November).

Of the 2,152 adults in Britain that were surveyed, 52% think that the forthcoming review should consider abolishing top-up fees and finding another alternative, while only 12% think the review should consider raising the cap.

In light of the poll’s results, Wes Streeting, President of NUS, said: “This poll shows that the public will not stand for a cosy stitch-up on university fees. At a time of economic crisis, when many hard working families are struggling to support their offspring through university, a hike in fees is the last thing we need.”

In addition, 71% of those surveyed want to see students represented within the core review group, while only 30% think businesses should be represented.

These results contradict repeated announcements made by Business Secretary Peter Mandelson that, after students, businesses are “the key clients of the higher skills system.”

These comments were re-enforced by the recent publication of the government framework document for higher education, entitled ‘Higher Ambitions: The Future of Universities in a Knowledge Economy’, which emphasises the increasing role of businesses in university funding and governance.

The NUS supports the results of their poll and wants to see student representation within the core fees-review group.

Streeting said: “Students are already leaving university with record levels of debt, and it would be totally unacceptable to fill the panel with people who are either Government patsies or predisposed to higher fees.

“Little over a month ago, the CBI called for a rise in fees, and polls have found that most university vice-chancellors would like to charge students £5,000 or more a year. Left to their own devices, behind closed doors, these two groups would only come to one conclusion: that students and their families should be bled dry for their own financial benefit.”

The University and College Union (UCU) support the NUS call for student representation.

Sally Hunt, UCU General Secretary, said: “The review needs to be allowed to be properly conducted with the relevant voices, particularly those of academics and students, on the core group.”

The poll also found that 81% of respondents thought that the review group meeting should be held in public.